Tucked away on a quiet, woodsy road near the Coast of Maine, I came upon a small abandoned cottage at the edge of a meadow. I purchased the house in June 2012 and immediately began renovating the home and nine acres of land. On April Fools' Day 2013, however, everything changed! Not only has my home been reconstructed almost overnight, I have as well! I invite you to join this experience with me as I journal about the miracles along the way.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Sometimes You Can Judge A Book By It's Cover

A few years ago on this day, my dear friend Pat and I made our way to a beautiful Maine island called North Haven. We try to go every summer because it is truly a gem on earth. I call it
North "Heaven". The salt air, mingled with the scent of wild roses and heliotrope, is intoxicating and the views are stunning.

The approach to North Haven from the ferry

The main street of North Haven in the early morning

In order to get to North Haven you have to take a ferry from Rockland, Maine, which travels about an hour over the bay. We stay at a lovely little Inn called Nebo Lodge, which is just a short walk from the ferry landing, so there is no need for a car.

Nebo Lodge has a restaurant in which they serve fresh greens and vegetables from their nearby farm and provide local meats as well.

A pitcher of cold lemonade and a plate of warm cookies are always laid out for the Lodge guests. The atmosphere is low key and very comfortable. Pat and I usually grab bikes and head out to the State Park or just cruise around the Island. Sometimes we just enjoy sitting on the front porch and playing games of Boggle or reading.

Here is their website: http://www.nebolodge.com/

One of my favorite poems follows. It was written by a dear woman by the name of Rachel Field many years ago but the sentiment still applies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Once You Have Slept On An Island

If once you have slept on an island

You'll never be quite the same;

You may look as you looked the day before

And go by the same old name,

You may bustle about in street and shop

You may sit at home and sew,

But you'll see blue water and wheeling gulls

Wherever your feet may go.

You may chat with the neighbors of this and that

And close to your fire keep,

But you'll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell

And tides beat through your sleep.

Oh! you won't know why and you can't say how

Such a change upon you came,

But once you have slept on an island,

You'll never be quite the same.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Anyway, I digress, back to my story. On this particular trip to North Haven a few years back, I was in the mood to read a light book but discovered I did not bring anything with me. I walked over to the town library and found that they had used books for sale for $1.00.

I perused the books and came upon one which caught my attention because of the stunningly illustrated cover. I read the jacket, decided it was exactly what I was looking for and dropped my dollar in the jar. Little did I know that I would spend most of the trip sitting on the porch reading! I was captivated and couldn't put the book down. I found out that this book was just one in a series of 13 books.

Since then, I have become a big fan and have read every book in the series. The author is Laura Childs and she has written two other series as well (Scrapbook Mysteries and Cackleberry Club Mysteries) but the one I like best is The Tea Shop Mysteries. I received my last book in the mail yesterday! Not only are they well written, offering the reader suspense and a non-violent thrill, they also provide a peek at the deliciously crafted lifestyles of the characters and recipes for scrumptious treats like scones and cakes as well as lessons on teas of the world. The covers are the most beautifully illustrated I have ever seen, thus smashing the theory that "you can't judge a book by it's cover." I love to curl up with a cup of tea and a scone and lose myself in these books.

Here is the Laura Childs website: http://www.laurachilds.com/

Back at the cottage, I was able to clean out yet another garden yesterday. It feels like the house is starting to breathe again. It will be nice when it gets painted but I have to clear everything away from the sides of the house first.

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I would love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting the Catch Meadow Cottage Blog!

I moved to Maine 28 years ago and since then I have been fortunate enough to own and renovate more than 14 houses and cottages. I have a passion for finding something that no one else seems to want and turning it into something that many admire. I have always had a love for gardening and decorating and decided it might be fun to share this passion with others. I hope you enjoy the photos and insights I will post here. Thanks for visiting.
Joy to You,
Carole